London Centre for the Ancient Near East

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London Centre for the Ancient Near East

The London Centre for the Ancient Near East was founded in 1995 as an independent association of university and museum academics, independent scholars and others with interests in the ancient Near East. It now acts as the south-eastern arm of the British Association for Near Eastern Archaeology (BANEA).

The London Centre organises a regular seminar series at SOAS. These and other ancient Near Eastern events in London and surrounding areas are publicised in the London Diary for the Ancient Near East. Events run by the London Centre are also published on the right side of this page.

The London Diary appears three times a year. Subscription is through membership of BANEA. For details of membership please contact the Membership Secretary, Yağmur Heffron, on y.heffron@ucl.ac.uk.

Statement of aims

The purpose of the London Centre for the Ancient Near East is to promote London and surrounding areas as a centre for the study of the ancient Near East: the geographical areas of Mesopotamia, the Levant, Egypt and the Sudan, the Arabian peninsula, Iran, Anatolia and the Aegean world, as well as the Indus valley and other neighbouring regions.

LCANE aims to create a centre to establish closer relations between colleagues with interests in the Ancient Near East on the staff of the various academic institutions in and around London; to act as a focus for all people with the same interests who are otherwise based in London or who are visiting; to publicise as widely as possible all activities in London relating to the Ancient Near East. In particular it seeks to produce for members a periodic list of public lectures, seminars and other events in London that bear on Ancient Near Eastern topics; to act as a forum in London for seminars, conferences and international meetings; to campaign to make University of London libraries more accessible for non-university scholars; and to raise generally in London public perception of the Ancient Near East.

Autumn Seminar Series 2018: Academic and Popular Reception of the Ancient Near East

10 December: Mirjam Brusius (German Historical Institute): Displaying, hiding, and replacing artefacts. On connecting the ancient and modern Middle East in museums and public space

Convened by: Hélène Maloigne, Melissa Benson and Eva Miller.

Lectures start at 6.15pm. Location: SOAS, Brunei Building, B202.

Public Lecture Series 2019: Gods of Old – The Mythology of Ancient Iraq

14 January: Andrew George (SOAS): Introducing the Gods of Old: The mythology of ancient Iraq

21 January: Kamran Zand (Heidelberg): The Mythology of Sumer: the Oldest Known Stories

4 February: Jens Braarvig (Oslo): The Mythologies of Mesopotamia and India: Are They Connected?